Velvet Assassin

Velvet Assassin’s strengths are in its quiet, richly framed version of a World War II inside the head. The stealth mechanic is very specific and rigidly pattern based, but it presents its scenarios incredibly well.

VA is a great story idea, the narrative of which really succeeds, but the actual gameplay itself is a letdown.

There are many aspects of Velvet Assassin that could benefit from further time in development. Still, the game is strong enough to stand on its own, and will leave players ready and waiting for a sequel.

Velvet Assassin isn’t an easy game. The unfair saving points and logical inconsequences are annoying and even frustrating and the slow pace will bore the pants off of many players. But those who are willing to immerse into Velvette’s cheerless, morbid world will be rewarded with an atmosphere intense beyond believe and probably the most mature WW2-game for years to come.

The strength of this game is the visceral experience. It all feels very real and can be very tense, much like the enjoyable tension you feel in a good scary movie. This is all very good, but some poor choices in game design sometimes pull you out of the experience which is not so good.

A realistic war-zone atmosphere and rewarding stealth action make this an intense look at World War II, despite some problems.

Velvet Assassin stands out because of its atmosphere, but lacks finishing touches. Too many bugs and a gameplay slightly worse than other games in this genre.

It’s like a mediocre clone of the Splinter Cell games, but not as good as far as level design or free roaming are concerned. But the story is captivating and it's a refreshing change from all those WW2 action games.

Yet even if it can’t be acknowledged as one of the best games in the genre, Velvet Assassin does its job decently. Barring some obvious flaws, it’s a good weekend title. Just have some patience in the beginning, so you can accommodate with the gameplay style.

You'll either love it or hate it. I don't see a lot of people falling somewhere in the middle. The lack of competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes, while not needed, doesn't help the game's replay value.

Barely explicable scantily clad slo-mo sequences aside, Velvet Assassin is a really solid game. [Aug 2009, p.66]

In the end, Velvet Assassin is definitely worth a playthrough.

Velvet Assassin delivers a fresh point of view on the Second World War scenario, providing the player with more intense and human aspects than the average shooter. Sadly, the stealth gameplay is split between great level design and lousy A.I, while the overall experience feels a little bit too linear. Disappointing, since a deeper testing could've made a great game of this interesting concept.

Because of the unexciting handling of the game, this title will only attract fans of sneaky shooters. Nice mood and graphics.

Velvet Assassin is not a bad game, but what it is not for sure a great one. There were some good ideas in its concept, especially in its general atmosphere and charismatic heroine, but all of them fail because of many wrong features and decisions.

You can't call Velvet Assassin a complete disappointment. The cautious move here is to rent the title, and decide for yourself if the title is worth a buy, something not ridiculous considering the attractive price point.

Charismatic heroine and interesting spy story from WWII cannot save the game from development bugs and really really weird game mechanics. Pick any Splinter Cell instead. [June 2009]

When Velvet Assassin gives up on stealth at the end of the game and decides to spawn waves and waves of soldiers, I regrettably also gave up trying to enjoy the gameplay.

In the end this is a game that most likely needed a bit more development time in which to iron out the kinks. There’s a good game in here, but its buried underneath psychic AI and strange game mechanics.

As Velvet Assassin's story unfolds, a realization begins to dawn. Events have nothing to tie them together. [July 2009, p.83]

Forget about clever puzzles and “social stealth”. Instead of presenting various solutions to a problem, Velvet Assassin will beat you on the head with a stick and point to an “X” on the map.

While it does bring in the secret agent angle, it also brings in a story that's completely thin and unsupported. Even worse, Assassin features flawed stealth action elements that can ruin the gameplay when they go awry, and only point out the hit or miss nature of the mechanics when they work well.

Velvet Assassin is a primitive and basic game even by last-gen standards.

So while the basics for a solid sneak-'em-up are here, a lack of polish makes for a dismal experience. [Sept 2009, p.69]

Velvet Assassin showed a lot of promise, but a wasted premise and flawed stealth mechanics let it down.

Velvet Assassin is in one word: weak. The story never reaches its full potential and furthermore the technical side is flooded with flaws. And even though the game has its moments of tension, the game fails horribly in being worth your money. Try to sneak past this one if you can.

Appealing alterna-stealth undone by trying to be all things to all men. Specifically, the sexually frustrated teenage ones. [July 2009, p.93]